Britain's deputy prime minister said on Sunday that recognising a Palestinian state would not bring one into existence "overnight", stressing that recognition must be part of a broader peace process.
David Lammy, Reuters/Eduardo Munoz
Britain's deputy prime minister said on Sunday that recognising a Palestinian state would not bring one into existence "overnight", stressing that recognition must be part of a broader peace process.
"Any step to recognise it is because we wish to keep alive the prospects of a two-state solution," David Lammy told Sky News, adding that Prime Minister Keir Starmer would be making a decision on recognising a Palestinian state later on Sunday.
Starmer said in July that Britain would recognise Palestine unless Israel reached a ceasefire with Hamas, let more aid into Gaza, made clear there would be no annexation of the West Bank, and committed to a peace process delivering a "two-state solution" - a Palestinian state co-existing alongside Israel.
"Since that announcement in July, in fact, with the attack on Qatar, a ceasefire at this point lays in tatters, and the prospects are bleak," Lammy said, adding that Israel had also moved forward with a settlement plan.
Reporting by Catarina Demony
In a coordinated announcement on Sunday, Britain, Canada, and Australia formally recognized a Palestinian state, citing frustration with the ongoing Gaza war and the need to revive prospects for a two-state solution.
French president Emmanuel Macron has so repeatedly vowed in recent weeks to grant de jure recognition to Palestine on September 22, to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly, that reversing course at the eleventh hour seems highly unlikely.
Japan will not recognise a Palestinian state for now, a decision likely taken to maintain relations with the United States and to avoid a hardening of Israel's attitude, the Asahi newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing unidentified government sources.
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